Russia’s anti-corruption watchdog chief says he does not believe the 2018 World Cup bidding process was corrupt and the FIFA arrests are a politically motivated attempt to strip Russia of the World Cup.

A founder member of the campaign group ‘New FIFA Now’ who is also a British Member of Parliament says change is needed more than ever and many people probably think president Sepp Blatter is the most despicable man in world sport.

White House spokesman Josh Earnest says Iraqi troops’ lack of will to fight Islamic State militants, an issue cited by the Pentagon chief over the weekend, has been a concern. In the wide-ranging briefing, Earnest also tells reporters the Obama administration has no backup plan if the U.S. Congress fails to act on legislation that would extend certain provisions of the USA Patriot Act.